A.—s

2

that pressure would be brought upon the Colonial Office for an immediate decision as to the administration of New Guinea—a matter which, as you know, had for a long time been under the consideration of Her Majesty's late Ministers—l thought it necessary to represent that nothing final ought to be settled without previous consultation with the Governments of New South Wales and New Zealand, and on the Ist instant I sent you a telegram saying that you might rely upon this being done. I took the opportunity of adding, in the same message, that the arrangement recently .made between England and France respecting Eaiatea provided for the grant of equal rights of trade to English subjects. It may be convenient, for purposes of record in your office, to transmit herewith copy of a letter I received from the Colonial Office containing the telegrams which had passed between the Secretary of State and His Excellency the Governor respecting Eaiatea and Samoa. I also append some newspaper extracts which have appeared on the subject of those islands. I have, &c, The Hon. the Premier, Wellington. F. D, Bell.

A.-3, No. 37.

A.-3, No. 3G.

Enclosure 1. [Extract from the Times, Thursday, 4th February, 1886.] A Gekman White Book. Berlin, 3rd February. The first of the new series of White Books, promised in the Imperial Speech from the throne, on the subject of the Emperor's colonial affairs has just been presented to the Boichstag in the shape of a protocol recording the agreement come to by France and Germany with regard to their coterminous territories on the west coast of Africa. The substance of this agreement was recently given in the Times; but it may now be as well to quote the more important clauses of the protocol, which is dated the 24th December, and bears the signatures of Count Herbert Bismarck and Baron de Courcel. And, first, with regard to the Gulf of Biafra: " The Government of His Majesty the Emperor of Germany renounces in favour of France all rights to the sovereignty or protectorate over the territories acquired south of the River Campo by German subjects and which have been placed under His Majesty's protection. It undertakes to abstain from all political action south of a line following the said river from its mouth to the point where it meets the meridian situate ten degrees of longitude east of Greenwich, and from that point the parallel continued to its junction with the meridian situate fifteen degrees of longitude east of Greenwich. Neither of the two Governments will take measures which may affect the liberty of navigation and commerce of subjects of the other on the waters of the Biver Campo in the portion which will remain intermediate, and which will be used in common by the subjects of both." The next field of agreement is the Slave Coast, where —" The Government of the French Eepublic, recognizing the German protectorate over the Togo territory, renounces the rights which it might assert over the territory of Porto Seguro, by virtue of its relations with King Mensa. The Government of the Eepublic also renounces its rights over Little Popo, and recognizes the German protectorate over this territory. French merchants at Porto Seguro and Little Popo will preserve for their persons and their goods, as well as in their business transactions, until the conclusion of the Customs arrangement hereinbefore provided for, the benefit of the usages which they at present enjoy; and all the advantages or immunities which would be accorded to German subjects will be equally acquired by them. They will in particular preserve the right of transporting and freely exchanging their goods between their warehouses or shops in Porto Seguro and Little Popo and the neighbouring French territory, without being liable to the payment of duty. The same privilege will in return be conceded to the German merchants. The German and French Governments reserve the right of consulting, after an inquiry on the spot, in order to arrive at the establishment of common Customs regulations in the territories comprised between the English possessions of the Gold Coast to the west and Dahomey to the east. The boundary between the German territories and the French territories of the Slave Coast will be fixed on the spot by a mixed Commission. The line of demarcation will start from a point to be determined on the coast between the territories of Little Popo and Angona. In tracing this line northwards account shall be taken of the boundaries of native possessions. The German Government undertakes to abstain from all political action to the east of the line so drawn. The French Government undertakes to abstain from all political action to the west of it." With respect then to the Senegambia—" The Government of the German Emperor renounces all rights or pretensions which it might assert over the territories situate between the Eiver Nuuez and the Mallecory, especially over Coba and Kabitai, and recognizes the French sovereignty in these territories." Public opinion here in Berlin seems inclined to grumble at this concession to France, and to consider it as the least satisfactory portion of the agreement. Under the firm conviction that his possessions would enjoy the immediate protection of the Empire, a Hamburg merchant named Colin had acquired by treaty from the native chiefs considerable stretches of territory between the Coba and the Kabitai, and now he finds himself compelled to trade under the French flag; but, on the demand of the German Government, France, as expressed in an exchange of separate notes, has agreed to grant to the Colin Company exceptional privileges. The next clause in the protocol refers to a very different part of the world—to Oceania—where " The Government of the Emperor undertakes io the French Government to do nothing which may hinder the eventual taking into possession by France of the islos and islets forming the group called ' Dcs lies sous le Vent en Occanie,' and connected with the Archipelago of Tahiti, or the Society Islands. It takes the same engagement respecting the New Hebrides Archipelago, situate near New Caledonia. The Government of the Eopublic, in case of taking possession of either group, undertakes to respect all rights acquired by German subjects, especially as regards